Since nearly twenty years, the jazz group “l’Ame des Poètes” has made a career out of instrumental interpretations of French chanson, with generous healpings of improvisation. The group has taken their show on the road a number of times in Belgium and abroad and have released seven CDs. By not always keeping to text-book interpretations, the three musicians have been able to revive their chosen melodies and inject them with a provocative level of emotion. The public reaction is always greater to these improvisations as they recognise the songs.